A Heartfelt Appeal From Newton Lodge

Aim: COVID19 means we are fighting to protect the future of our wonderful business and to keep our staff employed, so we are asking for your help

Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have launched this appeal to help support our hospitality business - Newton Lodge - and safeguard its future.

“Pay it Forward” vouchers will really help us to do this because they can be purchased now and used at a later date to pay for any of the services we provide - Rooms, Bar, Food; the choice is yours! They could even be a perfect gift for a loved one or friend.

They will be valid for a period of up to 5 years and as an extra thank you, for each voucher purchased, we have added a further 20% to spend. For example, £20 becomes £24, £30 becomes £36, £50, becomes £60 and so on. After you have donated, you will receive an e-voucher confirming your ‘pay it forward’ amount including the 20% added value. 

Pay it Forward - What It's All About

Crowdfunder is offering up its platform to allow all UK small businesses to pre-sell their meals, events and hotel bookings, etc, for cash now on a promise to redeem these at a later date.

After careful consideration, we saw this as a really positive and proactive concept that would help our business get through this crisis and enable us to re-open our doors as soon as possible. 

As an even bigger thank you, we have put together some extra treats in our special prize draw. Every person who has pledged will be entered to win the following:

• A round of drinks for you & some friends in the bar
• A mystery case of 6 bottles of wine
• A meal for two and a bottle of wine
• A meal for 4 and 2 bottles of wine
• A 2-night stay in one of our Loch facing rooms including a bottle of prosecco on arrival
• A private dinner party for up to 10 including prosecco on arrival, wine & beer – 1 available
• A 3-night stay in one of our Loch facing rooms including dinner each night with a bottle of wine per meal & a bottle of prosecco on arrival

Our Story

We are Ed, Lisa, and Blythe Newton and we are the owners of Newton Lodge a 7-bedroom hotel with a small team of staff near Kylesku on the stunning North-West coast of Scotland. Situated directly on the famous NC500 route - the ultimate road trip around the north of Scotland - our mission is to provide beautiful accommodation and wonderful hospitality in an area of the world where the landscapes and views are both unique and breathtaking.

After visiting the area for nearly 20 years, we made the move from Cornwall to Newton Lodge in 2018. We have worked solidly over the last 2 years re-establishing it as a business and transforming the old building into a beautiful venue to sleep, eat, and drink. From the moment we saw Newton Lodge (the name of the property was a complete coincidence but we felt it was meant to be), we saw what potential it had and felt positive that we could breathe new life and energy into it. We did not hesitate to roll up our sleeves and get stuck in and were prepared for all that it could throw at us, but a pandemic and its terrifying consequences were not something we could have ever envisaged, and now our small business faces its biggest challenge.

This winter saw the creation of a stunning new dining room and No.4 - our unique, rustic, and friendly new bar which was just starting to become a social hub for our community. We were all so excited about starting the new season - our third one here - with everything we had created ready and waiting to go, including the next stage of our journey which was to start serving food to both our guests and the public.

Light bites, lunches, and dinners were all on the menu courtesy of our wonderful new Chef JP, who has gained a wealth of experience working in this industry in both his native France and the UK. Our other new team member Declan is to be taking on a front of house and general assistant role, engaging in the many and varied aspects of the running of Newton Lodge. Both Declan and JP are desperately keen to get their teeth into this new and exciting part of what Newton Lodge has to offer and we have no doubt that they will be great assets to the team.

Having worked so hard in planning all of this and having achieved so much in such a short time, it is devastating to be facing the possible collapse of the business we love with all our hearts, due to forces outside our control.  We love this place so much, we love our community and we want to remain a part of it for as long as possible. 

The Reasons We Launched This Appeal

• We want to continue working in the place and industry we love and not have to rely on loans which may end up creating a more crippling effect in the future.
• We want to explore every avenue open to us to help save our home and business in a proactive and positive manner.
• Our employees are not covered under the Government Furlough Wages Scheme. We have a duty of care to our two newly hired members of staff who are also without income now having left previous employment to join us in March.
• We want our business to continue benefiting the local economy.
• We want to continue developing the social aspect of our business for our local community into which we have been so warmly welcomed.
• The Government-backed CBILS has been inundated with few applications having been approved to date. There is no certainty that our application will be approved or what funds we might expect to receive. This will also create more debt for our business. We cannot rely on this as a solution.
• Our insurers will not pay out on what is a legitimate claim.
• Having invested everything into Newton Lodge we have established a very good business that was on a positive trajectory for the future. Its’ survival is something that we must fight for. It means everything to us.
  
  

 Thank you so much for your support. It means the world to us, and we really look forward to seeing you all soon and to be able to thank you in person.

 Ed, Lisa, Blythe, Declan, and JP